


I found you all alone, I came to warm your bones

by Rosesnfeathers



Category: Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Bucky is getting his life back together, Cap Septender, Librarian Steve, M/M, Non-Serum Steve Rogers/Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes | Shrinkyclinks, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Sick Fic, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, and fluffy, and tender, so soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2020-10-19 13:49:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20658269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosesnfeathers/pseuds/Rosesnfeathers
Summary: “You fainted,” Bucky tells him, worry painting lines between his brows. “I heard the elevator doors open and then you - you were coughing so hard it sounded painful even from inside my place. I opened the door to ask if you were okay and you fainted right there. I caught you right before you hit the ground. I got your keys and got you into bed. I hope that’s okay?”Or the one where Steve gets sick and his neighbor Bucky takes good care of him.





	I found you all alone, I came to warm your bones

When Steve opens his eyes, he is laying in his bed under a heavy pile of blankets, and his body shaken by feverish shivers. He tries to remember when exactly he went to bed, because all he remembers is locking the library’s doors, then walking home in the heavy snow.

But now he’s warm in his bed and it’s pitch dark outside, his room is bathed in the golden glow of his bedside lamp. He turns around and just beside him, sitting in his bright yellow Ikea armchair is his new neighbor, James, reading a book.

He looks up form it as soon as Steve faces him, dropping the book on the floor by his feet. “Hi Steve,” he says, his voice always so soft and comforting. The first time they saw each other, both waiting for the elevator arrive, Steve remembers being intimidated by the man. 

His long hair was hiding most of his face, his jaw covered in dark, coarse stubble. He is significantly taller than Steve and wider too, with strong shoulders and thick thighs. He was wearing his gloves that day, even inside, the collar of his thick coat pulled up high on his neck. 

But as the elevator arrived, he let Steve get in first, and his voice, Steve still remembers how surprised he was by the velvet sound of it. “After you,” he said, not much louder than a whisper and Steve looked up, meeting beautiful blue eyes and a small smile stretching over pretty pink lips. He was reminded in that moment, that you really shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.

On the elevator they introduced themselves properly. “My name is Steve,” he said, offering his hand to shake, and the man said “I’m James, but please, call me Bucky.” 

They began to spend more time together and getting to know each other, and Steve became painfully aware of just how beautiful the other man was. Steve loves the way Bucky sometimes wears his hair up in a small bun at the nape of his neck, leaving pretty wild strands of dark hair framing his handsome features. 

Steve loves how he is always the gentleman, holding doors for Steve, helping him carry his groceries more than once.

He started showing up at the library on Steve’s shifts and it would be a lie to say the first time he saw him pass the front doors, that his treacherous heart didn’t skipped a beat or four. James - _ Bucky _ \- was dressed sharper than usual, with a clean pair of jeans that were free of any holes, unlike those he usually wore. He was in a dashing navy blue peacoat and shiny boots, with his hair up in that way Steve likes it most.

He thought Bucky looked straight out of those romance novels he likes to read when nobody’s watching.

That first day he learned that Bucky suffers from memory loss, memories from times that he quietly says he's still not ready to talk about. Bucky thought the library of all places could be a good place to learn about the world he forgot. 

Steve saw the few scars on Bucky’s skin, his guess was that maybe Bucky was part of the army before. He knew how a war can mess someone up, his friend Sam working at the VA often talked about it.

Steve was glad to show him how the library catalog worked and gave him a few quick tips to make his Google searches a bit easier. 

And then he started coming back almost every day, bringing Steve cups of coffee and spending his lunch breaks with him as well. 

It would be a big fat lie to say Steve wasn’t developing a big fat crush on his beautiful neighbor. 

Which leads him back to now, with said neighbor here in his bedroom, sitting next to his bed.

“You fainted,” Bucky tells him, worry painting lines between his brows. “I heard the elevator doors open and then you - you were coughing so hard it sounded painful even from inside my place. I opened the door to ask if you were okay and you fainted right there. I caught you right before you hit the ground. I got your keys and got you into bed. I hope that’s okay?”

Steve feels so painfully embarrassed he slides deeper under the covers, hiding underneath his comforter and groaning loudly. “Fuck, I’m so sorry,” he says, his voice weird from his stuffy nose and scratchy throat.

The covers are pulled from over his head and when he looks up, Bucky is there looking at him with a smile. “Don’t apologize,” he reassures. “I’m glad you’re okay. You scared me a little.”

Steve is used to being sick, used to his body betraying him every time he catches the smallest cold. He knew he was feeling weak at the end of his shift and that he needed to go home, take some medicine and sleep the sickness away. But it was so _ cold _ ,and he walked faster than he should have and tired himself more that what was good for him. So _ of course _ he fainted.

He thinks about himself falling into Bucky’s arms like a damsel in distress and blood rushes to his face. He hopes he’s feverish enough that Bucky won’t notice.

“Thank you, Bucky,” Steve says because he really is grateful to be in his bed and not passed out in the middle of the corridor. He feels his eyes grow heavy with sleep again and he pulls the blanket higher up his chin. His whole body aches and his throat feels like it’s full of needles. He hates being sick.

“I didn’t want to leave you alone, not knowing when you would wake up. I have soup back at my place, do you want me to get you some?”

He looks almost shy, asking it. Like he doesn’t want to bother Steve, when frankly it’s more the other way around. Steve’s pretty sure that Bucky has much better things to do with his Friday night than stay by his bed and watch him sleep while he is sick as a dog. His stomach answers before him though, gurgling loudly. It makes Bucky chuckle and he sits up. “I’ll take that as a yes. I’ll be right back.”

As he turns to leave Steve takes him in, like he always does whenever Bucky’s not looking. 

He looks so soft in his plaid pyjama pants and his short sleeve t-shirt that’s a bit too big on him. Steve saw the metal prosthetic before - Bucky showed him once when he stayed until the very end of Steve’s shift -but he rarely wears short sleeves. Steve knows he hates the way people look at it,_ at him _. He must have been in a real hurry, bringing Steve back to his place if he didn’t bother with changing his clothes. 

Just as he reaches Steve’s bedroom door, he turns around. “Please, wait until I come back if you wanna get out of bed. I don’t want you fainting again while I’m gone.”

Steve hates being babied when he is sick, he hates having people fuss over him and worry about him, so a bit of anger flares inside of his chest at Bucky’s words. He is pretty sure he could go to the fucking bathroom without cracking his head open on the ceramic floor. 

But there’s also something else fluttering inside of him, at the way Bucky is taking care of him. There’s something incredibly beautiful about seeing this tall, scary looking guy being so soft for him. 

He might doze off again in the time Bucky’s gone because when he opens his eyes again, he’s there by the bed, holding a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup and smiling down at Steve. “Sit up and eat.”

Steve does slowly sit up in his bed, feeling a little dizzy with it. He notices he’s in his pyjamas as well, and tries not to think about Bucky getting him out of his clothes. It’s hard not to, because Bucky instantly notices his unease and with what looks like a pretty blush on his own face, he says, “Your fever had already started and you had sweat through your clothes so I put you into something more comfortable. I’m sorry, I -”

“It’s fine. Thank you again, Bucky.”

He takes a deep breath and the steamy soup opens up his nose a little and makes him feel better instantly. It’s the simple powder kind that you just mix with water and make on the stove, but Steve doesn’t really care. He is sick and starving and it smells really good. 

He knows not to eat it too fast, so he tries to make conversation with Bucky as he eats it little spoonfuls at a time. “I hope you weren’t busy and I didn’t ruin your evening…” Steve mumbles, eyeing the little noodles floating around in the bowl.

Bucky softly shakes the book he is holding, “I was just reading. What can I say? You give really good book recs.” There is a smile on his face and Steve is amazed once again by how pretty he looks bathed in the soft light of his bedroom. How at home he also seems stretched out in Steve’s armchair. 

He finishes the soup, sighing contently as he feels better and warm all over. He pulls a few of his pillows closer and arranges them so he can sit up with his back to the headboard. Then he grabs a few tissues and blows his nose, feeling quite disgusting but at least he can breathe and talk a bit easier after that. 

“You can go back, I think I’ll be alright,” Steve says, turning his head to look at Bucky again. 

The other man quickly shakes his head. “I don’t mind. I’d rather be here if it’s okay. I can go sleep on the couch if I’m too tired.   
  
  


Again, something squeezes at Steve’s heart, as if Bucky’s metal hand had made its way right in the center of his chest. He keeps looking at him, as Bucky gives him a small smile before opening the book again and goes back to reading it. There is a small frown on his face and his lips sometimes move, forming the words printed on the pages. It’s not the first time Steve caught himself staring at Bucky as he reads. He loves it, he loves how he completely dives in it, putting all of his attention on the story. 

Bucky reads like the book, the story between his fingers his a precious one. And as a book lover himself, Steves finds it incredibly sexy. 

Steve feels himself sweating and he’s not sure if it’s because of Bucky, or the soup, or just his fever acting up again, but he pushes all the covers from his body, pulling at his shirt, feeling it sticky with sweat. 

“Do you want some water?” Bucky asks him, instantly noticing Steve’s unease.

“That would be good, yeah, there’s some cold medicine in the bathroom as well, if you could…” Steve trails off because Bucky is already up and out of the room. He comes back quickly with a tall glass of water and a box of medicine in his hands. He sits on the bed next to Steve as he hands over first the medicine and then the water.

After he puts both back on Steve’s bedside table, he reaches with his flesh hand and rests the back of it against Steve’s forehead, then his cheek. “You’re burning up,” he says, pushing Steve’s sweaty fringe away from his eyes. His touch is almost tender and Steve only wants to rest his sweaty cheeks against Bucky’s cool and dry hand. 

“Would you like to maybe take a shower, it will make you feel better. I’ll stay right here.”

Steve likes to think that, during the last few months since Bucky moved into the building, they had become friends. He loves spending time with Bucky. He loves when they talk about books, or when Bucky tells him about his job at the animal shelter. He loves the fact that Bucky quickly learned his coffee order and that he remembers all the silly things Steve tells him. 

But right now, as they are facing each other, sitting on Steve’s bed, everything feels so much bigger than friendship. He feels safe like he hasn’t felt in a very long time.

Bucky helps him out of his bed because he feels kind of weak again even if he ate a little. Steve picks a clean pyjama set from his drawer and then goes to the bathroom. He turns the water a bit lukewarm to soothe his burning skin. He scrubs at his sweaty skin and even washes his hair, letting the water run down his sore muscles.

He does feel better when he gets out and put some clean clothes on. 

When he gets back to the room, he notices Bucky changed the sheets, the dirty sweaty ones filling the hamper in the corner of his room. “You didn’t have to do that, you’ll catch whatever I have…” Steve mumbles without any heat in his voice as he quickly face plants onto his bed. The feel of clean sheets is so good he can’t help but sigh happily as he burrows himself deeper into them. 

“I don’t get sick anymore, it’s okay Steve.”

Just after he says that, Steve notices the way Bucky bites his bottom lip with worry, like he said too much. He starts talking about something else but, quickly, Steve falls back asleep, Bucky’s deep voice like a lullaby in his tired ears. 

He wakes up again a few hours later - the sun is rising outside making its way between the curtains and painting orange stripes all over his room. Bucky is still there, draped sideways on the yellow armchair and he’s reading what seems to be a completely new book. 

Steve starts shivering and it’s enough to get Bucky’s attention. “Oh no, your fever isn’t down yet?” He grabs at the medicine again. “It’s too soon, we have to wait another few hours before you take more,” he says with a frown and Steve looks at the clock by his bed, realizing he’s been asleep for only two hours.

“Scoot over,” Bucky says, as he pulls Steve’s covers up and slips into bed next to him. Steve is still shaking with full body shivers as Bucky wraps a strong arm around his waist and drags him closer to him. He puts the flesh arm under Steve’s neck and the metal one is around his stomach and he is pulled flush against Bucky’s warm, hard chest. 

“I’m gonna warm you up,” Bucky says into Steve’s shoulder and he is shaken again by a full body shiver but he knows this time it has nothing to do with the fever. 

“T-t-thanks.”

“Go back to sleep,” Bucky says again, squeezing him a bit tighter against himself. 

Steve rests his head against Bucky’s bicep and finds that it feels surprisingly soft and comfortable considering the other man’s built. The fabric of his shirt feels good against Steve’s cheeks. He brings his hands up and with soft fingers, he starts tracing lines on Bucky’s flesh hand, right next to his head. He instantly feels the thumb of the metal one rubbing comforting circles against his sternum. It’s like his touch is answering Steve’s. His heart is beating so fast he knows Bucky must feel it.

“Bucky? Why did you say you don’t get sick anymore?” Steve can’t help but ask, his voice rough with sickness and sleep.

“One day, I’ll tell you everything, okay?” Bucky replies, his voice not much higher than a whisper, his lips brushing against Steve’s skin.

“Okay…” Steve should go back to sleep, but there is still another question he is dying to ask. One he wanted to ask since pretty much the third time he talked with Bucky by the elevator as they both headed to work in the morning. 

One question he was always so scared of asking because he never thought, before today, that it could be possible. He never thought that the way his heart was going wild and frantic just looking at Bucky, the way it jumped and sang every time their fingers brushed against each other’s... 

He never thought that Bucky might feel it too.

But this morning, in the soft silence of his room, with the sun rising he wonders. He thinks about last night, and the way Bucky took care of him and he feels that, maybe, there is some hope that the answer to his question might be yes.

“Bucky?” he asks again, this time his voice small with fear.

“Steve, get some rest, you need to sleep that fever away.”

“I… I just have one more question.”

Bucky stays silent, but Steve can feel him nod from where his face is pressed against Steve’s neck. 

“When I’m better um… Will you go out with me? Like… Like a date?”

He feels Bucky go still behind him, the comforting rub of his metal thumb coming to a stop. But then, there is no doubt that Bucky’s lips are stretching into a smile and Steve feels himself being squeezed around the middle by the strong arm surrounding him. 

“Of course, Stevie. I’ll go on a date with you.”

“Really?”

“I don’t take care of all the cute boys who faint on my doorstep. You’re special,” Bucky says, a smile in his voice and he drops one lingering kiss against Steve’s neck. 

That’s the last thing Steve remembers before falling back asleep, smiling. 

By the next evening, his fever is down and he feels so much better. Bucky goes out to grab them something to eat and they move to the couch in Steve’s living room. They watch silly movies on Netflix all evening before falling asleep right there in each other’s arms.

In the morning, Steve wakes up to the smell of pancakes and when he gets in the kitchen, Bucky is there cooking for him. When he puts down a plate of blueberry pancakes in front of Steve, he drops a kiss at the top of his head and says last night was the best first date he ever had.

Steve sputters, telling him it wasn't a real date. He says that he wanted to take Bucky out for real, for a nice dinner out or something like that. “It wasn’t a date, I didn’t even get to kiss you goodnight!” Steve exclaims getting red in the face.

Bucky just smirks at him, resting against the counter with his arms crossed in front of him, “Then what are you waiting for, punk?”

Steve swallows the mouthful of pancake he just took and gets up, stopping in front of Bucky. He puts his hands on top of Bucky’s shoulders and let them run down his arms until he uncrosses them and puts his hands on Steve’s waist. Steve pushes himself up on his tiptoes and rubs his nose against Bucky’s, their lips almost touching. 

Steve presses a few quick kisses over Bucky’s cheeks and over the coarse hair covering his strong jaw line. He looks up, searching Bucky’s eyes but he finds them closed, Bucky’s lips parted as he breathes quickly, waiting for Steve to dive in. 

And he does.

He finally closes the distance between their lips, and he revels in the taste of maple syrup mixing with the tartness of the fresh blueberries. And there’s something else, something that’s just Bucky, curling on his tongue and he smiles into the kiss. 

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from Rescue by James Bay, because apparently I can't write a Stucky fic without listening to him.
> 
> Big, big thank yous to Jules, Eva and Kristen for helping me with this. Hope it was tender enough :)


End file.
